Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Russia points to the United States (US) as the culprit behind the chaos in the Middle East. This is related to President Joe Biden's government's latest attack on pro-Iran militias in Iraq and Syria, last weekend.
In a UN Security Council session, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said the US was violating international law and continuing to sow chaos and destruction in the Middle East. He added that Washington had widened the conflict which initially only occurred between Israel and Palestine.
“The US carried out aggression against Iraq and Syria aimed at maintaining its global dominance and saving the image of the Biden administration ahead of the US election,” he explained, quoted by Canadian media, CTV News and also Al Jazeera quoted Tuesday (6/2/2024).
As is known, the situation in the Middle East has recently heated up after the outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza militia, Hamas. This made the US, as Israel's ally, and Iran, which supports Hamas along with its other proxies, intervene.
Since the war began, Washington has significantly strengthened its military posture in the region. Notably, the Pentagon transferred around 1,200 US military members to the Navy's carrier strike group and the Marine Expeditionary Unit of around 2,000 people to the Middle East.
And in some places, including Iraq and Syria, the US military presence exceeds that of Iran and its allies. This location eventually became a battle field between pro-Tehran militias and Washington.
Apart from Russia, China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun voiced his concern regarding the latest tensions. He also addressed accusations against the US.
“The US claims that it is not trying to create conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but in fact it is quite the opposite,” Zhang said.
“US military actions have undoubtedly sparked new chaos in the region and further increased tensions,” he said.
Algeria's UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama, the Arab representative on the council, defended the sovereignty of Iraq and Syria and also said US airstrikes would likely further worsen an already precarious situation.
“This has the potential to lead to further escalation. We firmly believe that violence is not and will never be a means of peace and stability,” Bendjama said.
Despite several accusations, Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood denied that the US had an absolute right to defend itself against attacks on US troops and that the actions it took were “necessary and proportionate”.
He emphasized that this was a counterattack to the pro-Iranian militia's attack on the headquarters of Uncle Sam's troops in the region.
Wood said that since October 18, Iran-aligned militia groups have attacked US and coalition forces more than 165 times in Iraq, Syria, and in a drone attack on a US facility in Jordan that killed 3 Washington soldiers.
The US responded with 85 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on February 2 that both countries claimed resulted in civilian deaths, injuries and property damage. They condemned the attack as a violation of their sovereignty.
“The US does not want more conflict in a region where they are actively working to contain and de-escalate the conflict in Gaza,” Wood said.
“And we do not intend to engage in direct conflict with Iran. But we will continue to defend our personnel from unacceptable attacks. Period.”
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
Next Article
Russo-Ukrainian War: Global Support to Kyiv Weakens
(sef/sef)